Video footage shared online shows a Miami police officer clinging to a car’s hood after allegedly being hit by the driver, 21-year-old Menelek Clarke. Moments later, the officer fired multiple shots through the windshield, with the driver then getting out of the car, surrendering.
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As shown in the video obtained by Local 10 News, the incident took place near Bayfront Park on Biscayne Boulevard. At the time, the Best of the Best music festival was taking place, and the officer was directing traffic.
The video starts with the police officer already on the car’s hood. While clinging to the vehicle, the Miami cop is shown shooting several times into the vehicle, through the windshield.
After making a left turn, Clarke, the driver, exits the vehicle and walks toward a zebra crossing. Another video shows Clarke in handcuffs, being ordered to roll over, as per Local 10 News. Then, the video shows Clarke’s shirt being stained with blood on his back.
As per the Miami Herald, Clarke was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. The officer was also transported to a local hospital, having suffered minor injuries.
‘Wrongfully Shot’
While the incident is currently under investigation and Menelek Clarke has not been charged, his sister, Sherylann Clarke, spoke with Local 10 News about what happened moments before the incident. According to her, they were looking for a parking spot at the time.
“The patrol officer, we were all stopped, we were in the middle lane,” Sherylann said. “He told everyone else to go with his hand — hand signaling that we can go. And then he stood in front of my brother’s car and shot him.”
Sherylann claims that Menelek hitting the officer “wasn’t intentional,” and that “the man moved with the car as he was going around him.”
“He said that he felt like he was gonna die,” Sheralynn said of her recovering brother. “I feel like he was wrongfully shot multiple times in his vehicle with no weapon.”
Assistant Police Chief Armando Aguilar, regarding the incident, said that they “don’t know exactly what happened.
“We do know there was physical contact between the officer and the vehicle,” Aguilar added.
As reported by the Miami Herald, Clarke was charged with aggravated assault on an officer in an unrelated case in Broward County. Allegedly, Clarke brandished a gun after a deputy told him to leave a park back in October 2023. He pleaded guilty to the charge.